Anyone can take a set-up from the Internet, and race the car for a lap and get super-quick times. That�s really easy. How many can use their heads to develop a race set-up and go racing? To begin with, I like to research set-ups from the Internet. I haven�t said that Internet set-ups are bad, I�m just saying that they aren�t good race set-ups. This research gives me an idea on what type of circuit I�m racing on. Is it fast? Is it high downforce? Is it medium downforce? (To those of you who are more experienced, bear with me.) Now, that I have done this research, I go and practice the circuit, and develop my own "fast" set-up. After this development stage, I combine what I have learned from the research and my own set-up practice, and develop the "best" qualifying set-up.

Please Note: This is not a place where you share set-ups. Also I give advise to anyone who asks for it, but please join the team. This is really the only way a driver can develop him/herself. I invite you to register and become a part of our team. Also, I need to say that everyone has a different style, a different idea on how to set-up a car. Alain Prost said to set up the aerodynamics of the car before going to set up the mechanical aspects, whereas Ayrton Senna set up the mechanical grip before the aerodynamic aspects. Everyone�s different, and there doesn�t exist the "best" set-up, only your best.

Now, the hard part. You ask, "now that I have a "fast" set-up, how do I set-up the car for the race?" There are a few major points to setting up the car for the race. The first is that there is usually less power in "race trim" than in "qualifying trim." Second, the car is heavier, and likely to be less responsive. Finally, there is going to be more wear on the tires. You, as a driver, have to take into account all of these factors and act accordingly.

You can�t do much if the car is less powerful in race trim than in qualifying trim. It is done that way to better simulate the real thing. You need to lower the power for more reliability, whereas in qualifying, reliability isn�t the biggest issue. Moving on, with more fuel in the car, you need to rebalance the car to get the same performance all around. This rebalance is key, to being able to run at 100% with light or heavy fuel load. Another aspect in performance is tire wear. This is the major problem in fast driving. If you can get the car to have minimal tire wear, yet be quick, you have the race in your hand. But, what if you don�t? Can you run at 90% during the tire�s life? Do you run as fast as you can in the beginning and hope and pray for the remaining laps? Or do you save your tires? These are problems every driver encounters. For example, in a race at Suzuka, I found my race set-up close to perfection, and I discovered I was able to run near 100% during the length of the tire�s life. Yet, at another race at Estoril, I needed to save the tires.

All of these set-ups cannot be given to you. These set-ups are the key to your success, yet everyone has a different key. No one ever has the same driving style. I hope you have good luck in your races and in set-ups. However, there is no way I can tell you the right set-up. I can only advise, and that�s the extent of my suggestions.


Race Strategies:

Many different things happen during the course of a race. Most of these you can�t control. These include, the speed of other cars, the back-markers, the weather (not really in GP2, but maybe in other games), and a host of other situations. However, there do exist other aspects you can control.

Fuel is one aspect that you should study and figure out the best strategy. Fuel adds weight to a car, which increases tire wear and reduces quick handling characteristics. You have to find the best fuel strategies during a race. Study the real races, for example. Do you take 3 pit-stops during the race at Monza or 1? Which is faster. Research and experiment, and you can find out. Also, find out how much tire wear you have and judge that too. Can you do 50% of the race on one set or 35%? Is it faster to take 2 pit-stops and go quickly on those sets, or to do a steady race and take 1 pit-stop? All of these aspects you need to study for each different race.

I know that in Hungary (a tire-chewing circuit) it is best if you can take 3 pits, and have super-quick times over the course of the race in between the pits. However, you need to take into account that it�s hard to pass, and that you can�t run at 100% over the whole race. So then you need to consider a 2 pit-stop strategy. There are a host of different strategies, and to choose the best for your race is difficult, but if you can take in all of the information you can, and think out logically what needs to be done, you can figure out the best strategy.


Driving Techniques/Style:

First and most importantly, everyone has their own driving style. No one is the same. Deja vu? Yes, just as in the set-up article. Again, no one has ever had the same driving style, nor the same set-up. Everyone is different.

I have divided up these cornering styles/techniques into three main groups. The purest drivers are usually "early turn-in" types, or the Front drivers. They maximise the chassis and tires, and use less road. These front-end drivers are usually very intelligent, and usually have a very smooth driving style. They are usually less adaptable to poor chassis and their results show the performance of the car.

Classic drivers are usually the drivers who follow the line, precisely and are extremely quick most of the time, even when the cars aren�t always up to par. However, they are not quicker than the "perfectly" set-up Front drivers.

The last group is the oversteer drivers. They dominate the chassis, engine, and brakes with extremely aggressive inputs. These drivers are always flirting with disaster and love to dance in a race car. In addition, they have god-like feel for the car and it�s oversteer capabilities. At their peak these drivers are the most visible and attractive.

I have great admiration for the Oversteer drivers and consider them the fastest. In my opinion, Gilles Villenueve was the fastest man who ever lived and raced. There is no comparison. The reason he is not the best is that Alain Prost, a Front driver, eclipsed him in many respects. Alain Prost did everything by the book, racked up the most wins of any driver, and did it in butter-smooth style. When he had a good car, there was no competition.

In set-up, Oversteer drivers can drive the wheels off most any car, if the come within 50% of the ideal set-up, they�re usually happy and drive their hearts out. Front end drivers put an extreme amount of energy in getting the front-end of the car perfect, then they�re happy. Classic drivers love a well balanced car, and are usually the best in those set-ups. Analog drivers have more freedom than digital drivers in the game, but consequently, more complex set-up choices. I have heard that some analog drivers believe that digital set-ups are faster than analog. They might be (I don�t know, because I have no prolonged experience), but it is best to try both set-ups yourself.

There are a host of other techniques that drivers use. If you can study the real drivers and actually see and understand the logic and reality of new "discoveries." I have come up with my own discoveries during my experience and found out that many other real F1 drivers have developed the same ideas and techniques.

One aspect to set-up and driving style I have not covered yet is the analog versus digital debate. It seems that analog has a definite advantage over digital drivers, and this is true. Analog drivers are usually better than digital "rookie" drivers because they need more experience in setting up the car. They have more choices to make in steering angle, brake control, throttle control, etc. Digital drivers don�t have as many options to pursue, and instead the truly good ones need to find the extra speed in the set-up. That�s one of the reasons why most analog drivers use the so-called faster digital set-ups. Bluntly speaking, though, the analog drivers are really better than digital drivers due to their equipment. In any league that mixes digital and analog drivers, the best digital driver can usually be a top driver with the right equipment in that league.


Conclusion:

I hope that these pointers have helped you. If you really want to have fun I invite you to join our team. I know some of you out there are very independent and want your own team. However, the best career move is to try and join a team, and then see how you do. Only after a good 4 or 5 races in a league can you really judge yourself. As with everything else in the world, practice is good, experience is better, and both make perfection.